Monster Shark Tournament Officially Moving to Rhode Island

Organizers of the Monster Shark Tournament confirmed this week that the tournament will be coming to Newport this summer, ending a 20-year run out of Oak Bluffs on Martha's Vineyard.

The tournament had been held in Oak Bluffs for two decades but talk that the tournament could move has embroiled the sportfishing community there for years.

Massachusetts state shark expert Greg Skomal told CapeCodOnline.com that the tournament will run from July 17 through 20.

Steve James, president of the Boston Big Game Fishing Club, died while duck hunting in January. He reportedly was already in talks to move the controversial event to Newport when he died.

Meanwhile, another group, Sharks Fund Fishing, has announced a tournament in New Bedford on the same weekend.

Back in Oak Bluffs, where mood for the shark tournament was increasingly negative, a new "Oak Bluffs Blue Water Classic" will be held. In that tournament, all sharks and marlin would be released at sea.

Before his passing, James told Newport This Week that he planned to make the weekend a major event.

"It's an event, a real world-class event," he said. "We have people plan their whole summer vacations around fishing the tournament."

The event historically has drawn hundreds of fishermen and has been covered by ESPN. At its peak, it was bringing millions into the local economy and had as many as 300 boats participating. Those numbers had dropped off in recent years, CapeCodOnline.com reported, with the field dwindling to about 100 boats.